The republic of Suriname is in northern South America, on the Atlantic Ocean. Area: 163,820 sq km (63,251 sq mi), not including a 17,635-sq km area disputed with Guyana. Pop. (1996 est.): 436,000. Cap.: Paramaribo. Monetary unit: Suriname guilder, with (Oct. 11, 1996) a free rate of 410 guilders to U.S. $1 (645.87 guilders = £1 sterling). Presidents in 1996, Ronald Venetiaan until May 23 and, from September 5, Jules Wijdenbosch; chairman of the Council of Ministers from September 21, Pretaap Radhakishun.

General elections for the National Assembly were held on May 23, 1996. The main opposition party in the elections was the National Democratic Party (NDP), led by former military dictator Dési Bouterse. The outcome of the election was inconclusive. The New Front, a coalition of four parties that formed the government, won 45% of the vote and 24 seats in the Assembly, 6 fewer than in 1991 and 10 seats short of the two-thirds needed to appoint a president and to form a government. The NDP won 16 seats (a gain of 4 and 26% of the votes). Immediately after the election Pres. Ronald Venetiaan rejected an offer from Bouterse to form a coalition with the NDP, and he began coalition talks with some smaller parties.

On August 1 the buildings of the National Assembly and the Office of Foreign Affairs burned down. In this disaster almost all national political and historical archives were lost. This was the fifth destructive fire of an important government building since 1990.

On August 7 and 8 the new Assembly did not succeed in two elections to appoint a president. Venetiaan each time got only 23 of the 51 votes, and Jules Wijdenbosch, Bouterse’s right-hand man, got 24. On September 5 Wijdenbosch was elected the new president of Suriname by a convention of representatives of all districts (such a convention becomes necessary when the Assembly, after two efforts, has not been able to elect a president).